Show-case.



E. HIGGINS.

SHOW CASE.

APPLrcATloN FILED MAR. 22, |911.

Patnted Apr. 9, 1918.

which spares ramena ernten.

ELLIOTT HIGGINS, 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

SHOW-CASE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 9, 1918.

Application led March 22, 1917. Serial No. 156,796.

show-cases within which may be displayed objects of merchandise, and the object of my invention is to provide a show-case which shall beA adapted to be disposed on ground accessible to the public as a vacant city lot, and within which may be displayed an automobile, a machine,.or other articles for sale, and which shall embody a bottom wall comprisin a platform fixed on the ground, upon iottom wall is removably disposed inclosing walls comprising rigidly united vertical side walls and top wall, together with operative mechanical means for elevating said inclosing walls to a height that will permit thev disposal upon and removal from said platform of an object for sale; one or more of said vertical side walls being transparent.

I accomplish -this object by devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings where- Figure 1 is a a structure embo Fig. 2 is a view same; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the same in vertical section on broken line 3, 3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference numerals indicate like parts, two foundation timbers 4: and 5 are inlaid on the ground parallel with and spaced from each other-and transversely disposed on said'timbers 4 and 5 are sills 6 and 7 andv door beams 8 as shown in Fig. 3.

Laid upon the sills 6 and 7 and floor beams 8 is a plank platform 9 upon which may be disposed for display an automobile, or other article of merchandise.

Removably disposed to cover the platform 9 is an inclosing case comprising a rearwar vertical wall 10, a frontward vertical wall 11, vertical end walls 12 and 13 and a top wall or roof 14.

The distance between the end walls 12 and 13 and the distance between the rearward wall 10 and the frontward wall 11 is such as will cause the inner surfaces of the lower portions ofl said walls to be adjacent to the lan view of one form of ying my invention;

in front elevation of the surfaces of the side edges and end edges respectively of the plank platform 9 when the inclosing case is disposed to rest its bottom edges on that portion of the surfaces of the top of the sills 6 and 7 which is adjacent to the edges of the platform 9, thereby to prevent a displacement of said inclosing case in sidewise and endwise directions.

Preferably the four vertical walls 10, 11, 12 and 13 embody panes of glass or other transparent sheet material thereby to permit articles disposed in the inclosure onthe platform 9 to be seen from the exterior of said inclosure, but if desired some of said vertical walls may be made of sheet metal.

r[he timbers 4 and 5 project rearwardly from the rearward sill 6 for a suitable distance to provide a foundation for a windlass 15 whose base portion 16 is bolted to the top surface of the rearwardly projecting end portions of said timbers 4f and 5, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

Fixed on the top portion of the windlass 15 is the lower end of a metal pipe 17 which extends therefrom vertically upward for a distance, thence in a curve forwardly to terminate at a point directly above the center of the platform 9, and rotatably mounted in bearings rigidly attached to the upper end of said pipe 17 is a pulley 18, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3.

rThe windlass 15 is provided with a winding drum 19 which is provided with a cable 2O that extends therefrom upwardly through the pipe 17 and out' of the upper curved end portion thereof to engage with the pulley 18 and to extend vertically downward from said pulley 18 to terminate in a loop 21 which is attached to a suspension bracket 22 which is rigidly fastened to the apex of the top wall or roof 14 of the inclosing case, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3, whereby in response to the operation of the windlass 15 said inclosing case may be raised and lowered when it is desired to place upon or remove from the platform 9 an automobile or other article of merchandise.

l have shown but one form of mechanical means for raising and lowering the inclosing case, but it is obvious that other forms of devices may be employed for such purpose.

1n order that the interior of the inclosing case may be illuminated, at required times, E

l have provided electric lamps 23 xed to the underside of the roof 14 to which lamps 23 electric current may be conducted by circuit wires, not shown.

Manifestly, the inclosing case may be constructed in such manner that its vertical walls 10, 11, 12 and 13 and its roof 14 may be adapted to be separable so that they may be disposed compactly to facilitate their transportation from one point to another.

A show case embodying my invention, in the manner shown and described, may be utilized by disposing it on ground accessible to the general public, as, for instance, in a vacant city lotadjacent to a busy street, where it may serve to display articles of merchandise which are of general interest to the public, as, for instance, an automobile..

The operation of a show case embodying invention may be described as follows:

The windlass 15 is actuated to raise the inclosing case from the platform 9 to a height that will permit the article to be displayed (as, for instance, an automobile) to be disposed on the platform 9 and thereupon the windlass 15 is again actuated to lower the inelosing case to rest upon the sills t3 and 7, thereby to inclose said automobile which 'will 'then be observable through the transparent vertical walls of said inclosing ease. e

lf desired, movable parts of the windlass 15 may be locked by any well known means to prevent unauthorized persons from rais ing the inclosing` case to gain access to the automobile..

manera Obviously, changes may be made in the forms, dimensions and arrangement of parts of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

"W hat I claim is:

A show case of the -class described, which embodies foundation timbers horizontally disposed parallel with and spaced from each other; a platform rigidly secured to the top surface of said foundation timbers and disposed with one of its side edges at a distance from like ends of said foundation timbers; an inclosing case provided with a transparent wall and removably disposed to cover said platform; a windlass rigidly fastened on said foundation timbers in a position between its said like ends and said platform; a metal pipe fixed on the top portion of said windlass to extend vertically upward therefrom for a distance higher than the top `of said inclosing case, thence in a curve to terminate at a point above the central portion of the roof of said inclosing case; a pulley rotatably mounted in bearings rigidly attached to the higher end portion of said metal pipe; and a cable operatively associated with said windlass,

said metal pipe, said pulley and said inclosing case, whereby said inclosing case may be raised and lowered.

ln witness whereof, l hereunto subscribe my name this 16th day of March A. l).,1917.

ELL'TT HlGGlNS. 

